Its Moments Like this...

that I REALLY love humanity!

I was just perusing some pictures from the Red River flood in Fargo, ND this morning.  A friend of mine sent me a video... complete with sappy music... which, of COURSE, made me bawl like a freakin baby!  Disasters oftentimes bring out the best in people.  There is something about a shared struggle.  A collective adversity.  A battle that is seemingly unwinnable which tends to bring people together.  They lean on each other.  They talk.  They smile and encourage and love each other... and that is just a beautiful thing.  Maybe that's why the vast majority of the people out on an Ironman course are so pleasant to one another.  Hm.  Yup.

When you're out on your long training days this weekend... take a moment and think about those people in Fargo.  If you pray... say a little one.  I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Breathe...

I'd like to...

apologize for the whining.  But DAMN... I'm pretty freakin GOOD at it huh?  Yeah.  I'm dah MAN!

HEY!  Anyone out there like Daffodils?  They are a COOL lookin flower no?  Yes.  The answer is yes... just ask me.  PLUS... they are a sure sign of spring here in a Pacific Northwest... and I welcome them every year.  As a matter of fact... about this time last year I took a very similar picture... uh huh.  Yup.  Hm.  And no, I'm not pondering.

So where did that all the whining and doubt and self-hatred come from in the last post?  Ok... there was no self-hatred.  I like me.  I'm my own best friend.  I'm bright and shiny and I've got a funny face. What? Ok.  Sorry.  Back to the task at hand.  I'm not entirely sure where it came from.  What I do know is that due to some circumstances that are completely beyond my control... I've severely altered my goals in terms of my first Ironman distance race.  That, and the fact that I had my longest ride EVER last Sunday... and whatdoyaknow!  It wasn't a complete cake-walk!  Bah ha HA!  Look,  here's the thing... I thought it was about one thing... and now I think its about another and I'm completely o.k. with that!  I really am... and you know what?  It feels really good.

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.  Enjoy some pics from Sunday's ride!

Breathe....

Allllll RIGHT!!!!!!

I admit it!  I made the mistake of assuming that this would be easy!  I bamBOOZLED myself!!!! I got lost in my own EGO and convinced myself that this would be a piece of angel-cake with homemade frosting.  I am a cocky, self-assured, self-absorbed IDIOT!  Not only that...

I'm a big whiner-baby that's currently self-absorbed and in the fetal position sucking his thumb.

Breathe...

What IS it...

that makes us fear the unknown?  Why is it so scary?  I mean really... if its unknown... what prevents us from looking at it with promise and hope?  Why isn't initial reaction to the unknown generally, "Holy CRAP! This could be REALLY good!"???  Just a thought.

2 hour run today.  Not unknown... not scared... very excited!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole.

Breathe...

Everyone Needs...

a quickie once in a while right?  RIGHT?  Uh huh.  Admit it... it's allllllllll good.

Ok!  Training is going REALLY well right now.  I'm finding out that Ironman training aint no joke. I can fake a half-iron... but apparently NOT a full Ironman.  Huh.  Go figure.  My challenge continues to be proper recovery... and I'm doing what I can but it's virtually impossible to eliminate additional stress right now.  I know it sounds terribly "hippy" and wanna-be "Zen"... but the best I can do at points is sit still and breathe. 

OH!  My swim is coming along nicely.  I'm VERY close to being where I was at the end of the season last year and I couldn't be more pleased with my progress!  2 miles in the lanes last night with ZERO problems.  YAY!

Hope you're all happy, healthy, and whole!  Spring break is coming up and for those of you in snow-covered states... I hope you get to hang someplace warm n sunny!  You can get REALLY tan in as little as 3 days!

Breathe...

Catch UP!

Where'd the time GO?

Sorry to have been SO remiss in my postings... I can feel you loosing interest as the days drift buy. Yeah. I hear you out there. "That Tri-Rob guy. He doesn't care. He doesn't love us.". Well, you're wrong. I do care... and yes... I DO love you. I really do. Hm. Yup. I might even go so far as to say that I "rub" you... but that might be taken in the wrong vein.

Anyway! ONWARD!

Training? Yeah. I've been training.... and guess WHAT??? I've been SWIMMING too! I was cleared to swim a week and a half ago by my PT. If you've ever taken a significant amount of time off from swimming... I'm sure you know what its like when you first jump back in. I was expecting to feel completely out of place. To be lost in the water and not remember a THING of what I'd learned over the last year. But I was greeted by... quite literally... the warm embrace of the water. Yeah... they had overheated the pool. Anywho... the first few strokes I took... it was like I had never been injured. It was like the last 3 months had never happened. No dislocation.  No

sleepless nights b/c of the pain. No month of physical therapy twice a week and painful stretching and exercises. It was just me... rotate, reach, pull, finish, breathe. It was SO great! Then I made it to the end of the pool... a whopping 25 yds... and I was TIRED! Classic. Its great to be back in the pool! My shoulder isn't exactly TOTALLY normal... but its pretty durn close. I'm getting stronger every day and am completing shorter sets of 200 to 300 yds at a moderate pace topping out at 2,200 yds Monday. Of course... I immediately begged Liz to up my distances to at LEAST 3,000 yds by next week. Her response? "Patience". ARG! NonononononoNOOOOO Liz! Now! Are you listening to me? NOW! Yesterday! Post-haste! *Sigh* Ok... fine. I'll be patient. (said in a whiny disobedient kid voice).

I said it before... and I'll say it again... the time out of the pool was a blessing in disguise. My injury was such that it didn't hinder any of my other training in the least. As a result... my bike, my run, and my core strength have come along to a point that I'm EXTREMELY happy with!

Case in point: The bike test I had... the one where I threw up twice in my mouth? Yeah. That one. I worked hard and went after it but I wasn't that confident in the results... I left the number analysis to Liz. I wasn't expecting much b/c I had just come back from a big meeting. I come back from these things mentally and physically spent. As it turns out, my power output a month into my training this year... is exactly where it was last year... when I was at my PEAK. Uh huh. I'm a happy boy!

My run is coming along nicely. LOTS of running directly off the bike... which I LOVE! Liz had told me that we were going to be putting together a "killer bike to run combo"... and, as usual, she's been true to her word. Every single run off the bike this year has been strong... freakishly so. I'm not doing tons of distance off the bike right now. For instance... after my 3.5 hour ride on Sunday, I ran off the bike in zone 2 for 25 minutes. Training smart. For me, the key to running fast... is staying injury free. That's the bottom-line. If I can stay healthy... I can run fast. I have had to check myself and be totally honest in my feedback to Liz reference how I'm feeling mentally and physically. Every ache and pain... she hears about... and she adjusts if she feels we need to. If you haven't noticed... the athlete/coach relationship is going VERY well. You should PROBABLY HIRE HER! She's definitely the one that'll take you to wherever it is you want to go in this sport. I'm serious. Do it. Now. Pull the trigger. Times a wastin.

Let's seeeeee. Hmmmmm... what else. Not a whole heck of a lot. I'm having a ball. Work has suddenly become more challenging if not more fulfilling, the kids are all doing really well... even my pre-teen Jack is tolerable... most of the time. I dunno. During my more clear moments... I can sit back, look around, reflect, and come up realizing how incredibly blessed I am to have the life I do. Don't get me wrong... there are moments when the expletives come flying out of my mouth so fast you'd think I was suffering from Tourettes Syndrome... but honestly... most of the time... I'm solid. I'm good. I'm really happy. And that? That, my friends, is just... well. It's really nice.

Here's a few random pictures! Enjoy!

This is a hill that I like to make "My Bitch"... as Liz would say.

This is the backside of said bitch hill. Nice backside huh?

Aggie the Wonder Dog. Minus her cape.

"Herow? Sarry? Is dat yu?"

Ok! Thanks for visiting! Hope you're all happy, healthy and whole! Looking forward to being a little more frequent with my writing adventures! Big weekend coming up... and I can't WAIT!

Breathe...